Steel, Silver, and Secretive Girls
by Senshi Sun
Summary: Tori, Jade, and Beck are in a group for a movie project. The movie is filmed as planned, but Jade's last-minute change reveals a huge surprise. Suddenly, Tori, Beck, and everyone around them must come to grips with the change, and a love that is difficult to understand. Jori. Beck/Cat/Robbie love triangle.
1. Twisting Stories

The hot California sun beamed down on the Hollywood Arts lunch tables. Students talked and laughed freely. It was as if the warmth of the sun had been absorbed by the student body. Nobody displayed the bright disposition the good weather brought more than Tori Vega. Swinging a backpack over her shoulder, Tori walked casually through the crowd of students.

She slid into the seat across from Jade West, a girl who's friend or enemy status seemed to change daily, and pulled a notebook out of her backpack. The two of them would have to be friends for now. They were working on a movie with a third person, Beck Oliver. Beck walked up to the girls, carrying two Grub Truck meals and two sets of cutlery. He put one of the meals in front of Jade and sat down beside her with the other meal.

Jade pulled the lid off her lunch and glared. "Beck, what did I ask you to get me for lunch?"

Beck looked over at Jade's meal. "You asked me to get you a salad, babe."

"A salad with what?"

"Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, no avocado or beef..."

"And dressing _on the side_. You'd think a boyfriend of over three years could remember that much."

"I told Fester to-"

"I don't care what you told Fester, I care that this isn't done correctly."

"Can you please settle down?"

Tori's command caused the couple to stop their bickering. Tori continued, "We have a movie to make and if we don't get it done in time, we are in huge trouble. I don't want to get a bad grade and I don't think you two do either."

Jade nodded. "She's right, you know. Unlike somebody, who-"

"Please!" Tori tapped her notebook on the table. "Our assignment is to make a five minute film with full lighting, costumes, and sound. It must include a love triangle, stage fighting, and at least two set changes or locations."

"Sounds good," Beck said, picking up a piece of ravioli and raising it to his mouth.

Jade took Beck's fork from him. "What kind of ravioli is this?"

"Cheese. Why?"

Jade took a bite out of the ravioli and immediately switched their lunches. Beck leaned forward as if he was going to protest, but instead shook his head and began to eat Jade's salad. Jade grinned, pleased things were working out her way. Tori asked the couple if they had any ideas for the project.

Beck stabbed at a tomato before suggesting, "How about two girls fighting over a guy?"

Tori smiled in agreement, but Jade scowled. "That's so cliche. We should vary it up. Have this one girl be a crazy virago chick and the other girl be a pretty but naive sweetheart."

Beck turned to Jade. "Sounds good. We can put the stage fighting in easily that way."

Tori wrote down the ideas. "The boy could be some sort of surfer, or a male model."

Jade glared at Tori. "He cannot be shirtless."

"A high-class waiter, then?"

"Better."

Tori jotted down the last few ideas. She suggested having the first scene at a restaurant, the second scene at a parking lot or on a street, and the final scene at somebody's house.

Jade offered her house for the last scene. "I have a new camera, so we don't have to shoot one angle at a time."

"Aw, thanks. You're really helpful sometimes." Tori kept writing.

Jade quickly corrected her niceties. "The less time I have to spend around you, the better."

"We could give the crazy girl a pair of scissors. Scissors are easy to find." Beck mused before the girls could go at each other.

Tori raised an eyebrow. "How easy?"

Beck pulled a pair out of Jade's pocket. Jade snatched them from him and put them back.

Unfazed, Beck continued suggesting ideas. "In the first scene, we could have the sweetheart flirting in the restaurant with the waiter, and the crazy girl could see him with the other girl and freak out. The waiter could take the sweetheart somewhere and tell her the crazy is his ex. In the last scene, the sweetheart could go over to the other girl's house to apologize."

Jade sniggered. "Yea, and the crazy girl would be waiting to kill her. Mmmm, that will be a delicious ending."

"I... I guess so." Tori glanced up at the girl across from her before writing down Jade's idea.

With the story ready for scripting, there was only one more thing to do: cast the actors and name the wrote Beck's name by the waiter. As the only boy in the group, it was clear he would have to be the male lead.

Beck scraped the last bits of lettuce onto his fork. "Can we call him Alan?"

The girls agreed. Jade looked at Tori, analyzing the softness of her movements and the brightness of her smile. "Tori should be the sweetheart. She wouldn't be able to go to the dark levels a crazy character needs to. She's naive already. She'd barely even have to act in that role."

Tori wrote her name next to the sweetheart, who she decided to name Jill. "That makes you the crazy girl, Jade. You're going to be running around with a pair of scissors."

Jade just scoffed. "I like scissors, and so will Mara."

Tori filled in the last actor's name and the last character's name seconds before the bell rang. Jade grabbed Beck's empty container and threw it in the trash. Tori picked up her backpack, and the three teens walked to class.

Jade held onto Beck's hand, but she didn't pay much attention to him. They had been fighting a lot lately, and she was worried they would break up. It wasn't so much about Jade loving Beck, it was the safety Beck brought to her. She knew Beck was something the world would be okay with. Beck was secure even when she wasn't.

Tori walked casually through the hall, in front of Beck and Jade. Though Jade would never admit it, she was slightly jealous of Tori's free spirit. Tori didn't worry about what other people thought about her. She was like a goddess, good at everything she wanted to be. Even if she was still "the new girl", from Jade's perspective, Tori had the natural charm and sense of emotion necessary to become a great actress.

Tori stopped walking and looked over at the couple, her eyes widening. "Jade?"

Jade glowered. "What?"

"You're staring at me."

Jade turned away from Tori, a scowl crossing her face. She squeezed Beck's hand to reassure herself. Beck yanked his hand out of Jade's.

"Those nails hurt!" Beck rubbed the four small, red dents on the back of his hand.

Jade raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. "They're supposed to hurt."

Tori suddenly turned around. "I almost forgot. We're going to need a title."

The duo echoed, "A title?"

"Well, we can't call it 'The Awesome Beck-Tori-Jade Love Story Involving at Least Three Characters, Stage Fighting, and... you get the idea." Tori flipped open her notebook.

Jade looked around the room. "Steel Your Heart. Make it a play on words."

"Thanks, Jade."

Tori gave Beck and Jade a quick, subtle wave before running to her locker. Jade watched Tori's run. A small smile slid across her face. Jade took Beck's hand again, and the couple continued to walk to class. Jade was more careful this time. After an incident like that, she needed to know her cover would still be okay. Her social safety would come at the cost of the truth.

* * *

**Author's Notes****: **Hey guys! This is the first chapter in what I hope to be a long journey. Don't worry about me forgetting this- I have up to chapter 3 fully written and outlines for 12 more chapters. That means there shouldn't be too many times when I run out of chapters.

Oh, and to avoid flames, _Beck and Jade will break up._ Give it time._  
_

If you liked this story, please follow, favourite, and review. I am always open to criticism and suggestions. I appreciate detailed reviews more. This does not mean you have to talk about every single line- just expand on the thoughts you already have. Write the review that you would want to read- you never know, I could give you one in return.


	2. Angles Were All Wrong

Jade checked the time on her phone. It was 8:47. Her group was supposed to film the final scene of the movie that night. Jade was already in costume, wearing a crocheted black tank top, black skinny jeans, a spiked belt, her favorite combat boots, and a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. The pendant had two fang bite marks in it.

The doorbell rang loudly. She dropped her phone on the couch and walked over to the door. As expected, it was Beck and Tori.

Jade casually opened the door. "It's about time you showed up."

Beck stepped towards Jade. "Sorry, hun, I was dri-"

Jade glared at him, cutting him off. "I don't want your excuses. Tori? Why did you come with my boyfriend?"

Tori looked down, a little nervous. She took a few deep breaths before explaining, "Trina was going to drive me here, but our car broke down, so I had to call Beck to tow it. I was going to take a cab. Beck drove me here anyway."

Jade frowned, then let the other two into her house. Beck took a seat on the couch and pulled out a copy of the script. Tori slowly walked in behind him, looking around the room as if a trap could spring on her at any moment. Jade saw a need in Tori's eyes.

"Can I help you?" Jade asked with as much pleasantness as she could muster.

Tori turned to face Jade. "Um, yeah, actually... do you know where I could change into my costume?"

Jade pointed down the hall. "Bathroom. Second door to the left. Don't touch any of my makeup."

"Thank you!" Tori's chipper voice echoed slightly as she darted into the hall.

Sighing, Jade sat down on the couch next to Beck. She took the script out of Beck's hands. Quietly, she went through the blocking and lines. Beck looked over his girlfriend.

"That's an interesting necklace. Is it new?" Beck did his best to sound casual and dismiss the tension between them.

Jade put her fingers on the pendant. "It was on sale. I haven't been able to wear it. I keep being told it's 'too gory for school.'"

Beck faked a laugh. "And apparently it's not too gory for a school film..."

"Exactly. I'm not the real me, so it doesn't count." Jade stated, examining the pendant's fang marks.

With her point made, Jade continued to read the script. Beck would occasionally look over her shoulder, checking to make sure Jade would be okay. After one too many checks, Jade caught him.

"What are you doing?" Jade's demeanor turned icy.

Beck was taken aback by Jade's temper. "I wanted to make sure you were okay with the script. You've got some long li-"

Jade glanced over. "I am doing perfectly fine on my own."

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you with your line read? You don't have to work alone."

"I choose to work alone."

Beck put his hand on Jade's shoulder and looked straight into her eyes. "You know if you need me..."

"...You'll always be there and love me no matter what. I already know. You don't need to remind me like I'm five!" Jade shoved the script into Beck's hands. "But if you want to read the script, read the script. It's not like you're in this scene or anything."

Beck smiled and nodded. "In this movie, I'm going to be the person filming, so I still need to know what's happening. In the real world, I'm your boyfriend and I want you to know I care about you."

Jade crossed her arms. "I already know that. I've been with you for a very long time."

Beck sighed. "You don-"

"Hey guys!"

Tori smiled as she leaned over the back of the couch. She had changed into a frilly pink polka-dotted dress, white leggings, a pink and white friendship bracelet, silver hoop earrings, and pink high heels. She waked around the couch to show off the outfit.

"What do you think?" Tori did a cute pose.

Jade sat up, eyes wide. "You look great. I mean, the costume looks great for the part."

Beck smiled. "You look pretty. I mean, Jade is obviously prettier..."

"In this costume? I'm not meant to be pretty." Jade scowled.

Tori put her hands on her hips. "Well, you may not be pretty, but you're cute."

Jade stared at Tori in disbelief. "Now you're just screwing with me."

"I'm not, Jade." Tori pulled her phone out of her pocket and gasped. "Guys, we should probably start filming now. It's going to be really late by the time we're done."

Beck put the script on the coffee table while Jade got her camera. Tori checked her appearance, using her phone as a mirror. When Jade came back, camera in hand, the others were ready to start filming. Jade gave the camera to Beck so he could film their scene. The trio walked to the door, and Tori slipped outside. Quickly, Jade shut the door in her face and walked away. Tori made an annoyed face, then laughed. She knew the only reason Jade had shut her out was because she needed to open it when they were filming. Though she didn't have to shut the door so rudely.

In a second, the door was open, and Jade was in the middle of her line. Tori looked up sheepishly and fumbled for her response.

Jade put her hands on her hips. "And Tori is an idiot! Back to one."

Tori sighed as the door was closed again. She struggled to focus on her line and the perky expression she should have on her face. When Jade opened the door for the second take, Tori was ready.

She looked straight into Jade's eyes, beaming. "You wanted to meet me here. I was the one who called you earlier about Alan."

Jade looked down on Tori, a disgusted sneer crawling upon her lips. "How true. Why don't you come in?"

Jade stepped to the side so Tori could skip through the door. Jade looked over at the kitchen counter, where her scissors lay.

"Cut!" Beck pressed the record button on the camera. He watched the footage, paying careful attention to the details. "It's good!"

He could get a close-up of the scissors later, so he took another angle of Tori skipping into Jade's house. Afterwards, the girls moved on to the next shot. After Beck positioned himself for a full-body shot, Jade lead Tori to the kitchen, turning her sneer into a clearly fake smile. Tori, as Jill, ignorantly hummed at tune to herself. For the next shot, Beck went for a mid-body shot of the two girls.

Jade put her arm around Tori's shoulder. "It's Jane, right?"

"Jill," Tori corrected.

Jade's fake laugh rang through the room. "My mistake. Sometimes I make silly little mistakes around silly little girls."

Jade tapped Tori's head, making Tori wince. As they entered the kitchen, Tori noticed a sheet of cookies sitting on the stovetop. She ran over to the cookies and picked one up.

"Ouch!" Tori dropped the cookie as fast as she picked it up.

The camera fell as Beck rushed over to check on Tori. Jade stood there, surprised. "I thought the cookies were cool."

"They are cool!" Tori held up her unburned hand.

Jade looked away as if she never knew anything happened. Beck lifted his camera hand and started filming again. Jade regained her composure.

Jade smirked again, getting back into character. "Yes, be distracted by those cookies. Stupid girl."

Jade casually walked over to the counter to stand in front of the scissors. She picked up the scissors without looking. At the same time, Tori picked up the cookie again and joyfully began to eat it.

Jade stepped towards Tori. "Enjoying those cookies?"

"Mmm..." Tori finished chewing. "The's cookies are great! They're really soft and chewy and..." She saw Jade's face was inches from her own. "Your eyelashes are really pretty."

"Sweet, stupid girl," Jade whispered as gripped her scissors tightly in her hand.

Tori took another cookie from the sheet, acting completely ignorant of Jade's glare. Jade watched Tori's every move. Taking a deep breath, Jade swung the scissors over her head. Tori looked up just in time. She shrieked, dodging as the scissor's blades came down at her. The scissors bounced off the stove. Beck moved his foot out of the way so he didn't get struck by Jade's preferred weapon.

"Why are you doing this?" Tori asked, shuddering.

Beck changed the shot, opting for a close-up of Jade's face. The light of the setting sun made the shot more striking.

Jade looked right into the camera. "Because I love him. I love him, and you took him from me. I love him, and you took him from me, and now I'm going to take you from him!" Jade ran full-sprint at the camera. Beck jumped back, covering the camera in case Jade couldn't stop in time, which she could not. She bumped into Beck's arm.

Tori braced herself for the stage fighting scene. The scene began with Jade running at her, knocking Tori down. Jade attempted to pin Tori down, but in the struggle, Tori managed to slip out. Jade grabbed Tori's leg. She dragged a screaming Tori back. Jade's hands wrapped around Tori's neck, choking Tori. Tori, as Jill, summoned her courage and kicked her assailant. Jade recoiled as Tori took off again. Jade stood up and tackled Tori again. This time her pinning was successful. Jade grinned wildly as Tori gave up her struggle. Tori allowed Jade's hands to cover her neck, closing off her throat. All this time, Beck ran around the girls, taking many different shots from many different angles.

Jade stood up, moving out of the way. Beck sat beside Tori, who lay in perfect position. The camera zoomed in as Tori shuddered. Tori gasped twice. Her eyes widened for one moment before closing them. She stopped moving. Beck pressed the "record" for the final time, stopping the recording process.

Tori sat up. "Did you get a good death shot?"

Beck nodded. He watched the last few shots one last time, and Jade peeked over his shoulder. She caught Beck smiling as he watched the last shot.

"What on earth are you grinning for?" Jade glared at Beck.

Beck looked over at Jade as if Jade was five. "It's a good shot."

Jade scoffed, but Beck's glowering look silenced her. Tori was going to ask to see the shots, but she decided not to interfere.

Beck looked over at the clock. "It's really late. You should get started on the editing."

Beck handed the camera to Jade, who immediately turned it off.

"You two should get home right away," Jade set the camera down on the coffee table. "I hear there's a chance of accidents if you don't."

With a hint of distain in her eyes, Jade watched Tori and Beck walk to the door, making small talk. They seemed so much more happy than she was. Beck was his usual stoic self, though in the back of his mind, he was still looking out for his girlfriend. That was reassuring, though something else was as far from reassuring as possible. Even at night, when she expected Tori to be worn out from the day's events, Tori was still a bright, shining beacon of joy. Her eyes lit up in a way Jade could never match. Her demeanor was light. Yet, Jade wasn't concerned about Tori stealing her boyfriend away. It was something else entirely.

Jade pulled out of her thoughtful state when Tori waved a cheerful goodbye, and she realized they were leaving. Jade only grudgingly allowed Beck to kiss her cheek.

"Are you okay?" Beck asked. "You seem a bit off."

"I'm fine." Jade turned away. She composed herself before she went to the door and held it open for the others in her group. Tori waved at her again, and she waved back. The moment Beck's truck started up, Jade closed the door and allowed her annoyance to sink in. She had three ideas about what would happen later on that night. First, Beck would call her sometime. Second, Beck would chastise her about the way she'd been acting. Third, Jade would have to put her feelings against Beck's.

Jade looked at the ceiling and muttered, "This night can't end well."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Remember how I said I had three chapters written in advance? That's because I want to keep updating even if I don't have a ton of time to write. I will be updating once a week on the Friday. Keep an eye out for a new chapter in your inbox every weekend! If you need a fix before then, check out my other Victorious story, "Still My Brother".

Some of you may have noticed a pattern in the chapter titles. If you haven't figured it out yet, don't worry, the titles will have the same pattern for as long as I've planned them (13 chapters and counting!) If you have figured it out, let me know. You can also suggest scenarios that could appear in upcoming chapters.


	3. Nothing Else You Can Do

After Jade put the scissors back in their proper place, she went up to her room. She changed from her costume to pajamas, and booted up her computer. She was waiting for the phone to ring. She planned out what she was going to say when it rang. She would be calm, kind, and respectful. She didn't want to fight, but as Jade thought about what she'd done over the day, she realized the chance for fighting was high. Repeatedly, she hoped that she wouldn't have to yell or be forceful.

Even if she was waiting for an important phone call, the movie had to be edited. Downloading the footage would take a while, so Jade started to download it. A blue progress bar appeared, and began scrolling across the screen at a slow but steady pace. The number of kilobytes downloaded increased faster than the progress bar moved, but that was to be expected. The file was huge, thanks to the high quality the movie was shot in.

The chorus of "You Don't Know Me", the song Jade had sang at the Full Moon Jam, began to play. Jade sat up. She pushed her hair behind her ears as she pulled herself out of bed. She took her phone from her nightstand. She had already guessed who was calling, but she checked the display anyway.

Incoming Call from:

**Beck Oliver**

Jade slid her finger across the screen to answer the call. She knew if she ignored him, Beck would just try again a few minutes later. It was better to just get it over with.

"Hey, Jade." Beck's voice was muffled slightly by the phone's speakers.

Jade made her voice sound cheerful. "Hey, Beck. How was your drive home?"

Beck chuckled. "It was fairly good. There wasn't too much traffic, and I got home quickly. But you know that's not what I was calling about. Tori and I had a conversation. We talked about school and the project, and sang along to the new Ke$ha song."

Jade jokingly teased Beck. "And you're sure that's all you did?"

"Yes, Jade, I'm sure. I'm also sure you know I wasn't calling you about my drive home."

Jade looked down. "Yea. You're calling about me."

"Right." Beck sounded more confident now. "Your behavior this week has been so strange. You tensed up when Mr. Gradstein gave us the filming assignment, switched between praising and insulting Tori at lunch, dug your fingernails into the back of my hand, and... What I'm trying to say is you've been snappy all week. Why?"

"Can't a girl be snappy for no reason?" Jade's voice was condescending.

There was a quiet moment as Beck considered his answer. "A person could be snappy for no reason, but then they would be a gank. You are not a gank. I know you are not and will never be a gank, but this week you have been behaving like a rude, crude, nasty gank... and I don't like it. Most of the time when you're acting like this I can at least guess what might be wrong, but here I don't have the slightest clue. My mind draws a blank."

The computer pinged to tell Jade the footage had finished downloading. Jade opened her movie editing software. Jade imported the footage and another progress bar appeared. This one was slower than the first.

Beck's voice became somber. "Could you help me understand?"

Acting on instinct, Jade laughed. "There's nothing to understand. If there was, you would have figured it out."

"I know, Jade. You only act like this when you're hiding something, and I hate it. I hate feeling locked out of the loop. I'm your boyfriend. You can tell me anything you need to. I love you."

"I love you too..."

"But it doesn't feel like you love me, or even care about me."

Jade's muscles tensed. "Becket Oliver, you know that's no-"

"Jade August West, listen to me!" Beck did not yell, but his voice was firm. "If it's not too much to ask, I'd like you to be more open with your feelings. You spend so much time hiding them under a defensive wall that people don't get to know you as you. They just think you're some bratty stuck-up gank. If you're more open, you'll be more honest with others and with yourself. It would help people understand you. It would help me understand you when you get into moods like this."

Jade went silent. She knew very well why she was being moody, and why she couldn't tell anybody. If she told Beck, he'd be confused at best and downright furious at worst. He loved her, and she loved him, but there was something else making their relationship uneven.

"There are some things you wouldn't understand even if I was the most open person ever." Jade's voice was almost a whisper.

Beck urged her to say something else. "Give me a hint. Just one word."

Jade opened the internet and looked up something on ZapLock. Once she found the word she was looking for, she picked up the phone again. "Lyra."

The sound of keystrokes came through the speaker. A mouse clicked. "Lyra is a constellation..." Jade heard Beck scroll down the page. "Vega... It's got something to do with Tori."

When Beck said Tori's name, Jade's mind began to race. She didn't think about what she would say if Beck knew the cause of her worry was Tori Vega. She hand hoped he wouldn't be able to figure out the answer, forgetting that Beck also had internet access.

"Don't be silly." Jade sighed in frustration. How could she have been so stupid as to forget her boyfriend had a Wi-Fi connection?

"Are you jealous of her?" Beck's voice carried the hesitance and gentleness of a caring, concerned boyfriend.

"Me, jealous of Tori? No!" Jade smothered a laugh with her hand.

"You do know you can be friends with Tori. She's completely open to the idea of friendship."

"That's not it either."

Another pause on Beck's end of the line. "Then I don't know what it is. I wish I did, Jade. I want to help you through whatever it is, whether it's a fight, or a rumor, or anything else. I swear I will help you."

Jade took a deep breath to compose herself. She sat up straight, the way she had been taught to in one of her very first acting lessons, and allowed her larynx to relax. She breathed to the very bottom of her lungs. Her mind slid into acting mode, and the words she wanted to say were clear in her mind.

When she was ready, she began to explain herself. "Beck, listen to me. I know that you care for me very much. I can see for it in every thing you do and in every word you say. I know how crushed you were those times when I broke up with you because I was so convinced you didn't care. I was proud of you when you did things well, like the time you got the part of the waiter in Miss Fire. I know you know me better than almost anybody else, even my own family. Unfortunately, there is one person who knows me even better than you do: me. There are some things, that if I were to tell you what they were, you wouldn't believe me at first, and once you had figured out that I wasn't joking, you would become very, very concerned. You would wonder what you had done to deserve this, and all I would be able to say is that it isn't your fault. I can't say what that thing is, but it would destroy you emotionally and cause more pain than I can describe. I don't want to put you through that kind of pain. I'm sorry."

With that said, Jade tapped the "end call" button. She relaxed her hand and let the phone slide out of her hand. Jade jiggled her computer mouse to wake it up. Imported footage took up most of her screen. She started to piece the clips together to create the finished film. She chose the takes with the most clarity and style, added music to emphasize emotion, and changed the video setting so the quality was as crisp and clear as it could be. She took her time, making sure each clip was perfect before moving to the next one. Jade would not let her group down.

However, her editing duty did not have her undivided attention. Her mind often slipped back to her phone call with Beck. It replayed select bits of the conversation in her mind, especially where Beck asked her to be more open. Jade shrugged it off and continued working, but the conversation would not uproot itself from her mind. She found it harder to stay focused, but Jade refused to think of anything other than the movie. The longer she worked, the less distracted she became.

The weight of the conversation began to rise off her shoulders as she reached the final scene. Jade had the editing down to a rhythmic motion: drag the clip in, colour correct, fix the volume, playback, repeat with the next clip. This rhythm worked well for her. It did not change or bring up any variables. It drove away the emotions the conversation brought up. It was just her, the rhythm, and the movie. She went through clip after clip. She edited a clip with Mara, Jade's character, putting her arm around Jill, Tori's character. She edited a clip of Mara picking up the scissors. She edited a clip of the scissors bouncing off the stove and Jill asking a question. It was like all the other clips. Drag the clip in, colour correct...

Jade went into the volume editor. She played the clip to see where the volume needed to be changed. There was a ping as the scissors struck the stove, a moment of silence, and then Jill asking, "Why are you doing this?".

_"If you're more open, you'll be more honest..."_

Jade cursed as Beck's voice echoed through her mind, interrupting her train of thought. She adjusted the volume where it was needed and played the clip back.

Jill's eyes were wide, and she shuddered like a leaf trapped in a corner with gale-force winds blowing on it. "Why are you doing this?"

_"...you'll be more honest with others..."_

Jade pulled her chair closer to the desk. She moved on to the next shot. The colour was fine, so she skipped immediately to volume.

Her own voice came through the speakers, full of malice. "Because I love him. I love him, and you took him from me."

_"...more honest with others and with yourself."_

Jade was so annoyed about distracting herself, she replayed the wrong clip. She heard Jill ask why Mara was trying to kill her, but it wasn't Jill anymore. It was Tori. When Jade played the correct clip again, the meaning of what Beck had said sink in. Each hate-filled word suddenly felt wrong. Jade felt repulsed by the line. She did not love Beck Oliver. She did not love Beck Oliver, and Tori did not take him from her. She did not love Beck Oliver, and Tori did not take him from her, and she didn't want to take Tori away from anybody. The whole scene was wrong.

"_If you're more open, you'll be more honest with others and with yourself."_

Jade shook her head. She wanted to show Beck that he was right, and that she could be more open, but there was no way to do it. There was only the movie, the tragic, incorrect movie.

Suddenly, an idea made its way into Jade's head. The more Jade considered the idea, the more Jade liked it. There was a way to show Beck he was right and fix the movie at the same time. She just had to be careful not to wake her parents when she was recording.


	4. The Camera Don't Lie

The two-note bell rang throughout Hollywood Arts, signaling the beginning of class. The doors to the Black Box Theater were propped open. Students began to pour in, taking their seats in one of the many folded chairs lined up in the theatre. A projector and laptop were in front of the chairs, ready to show the finished movies. Jade pushed her way into the theatre as an excited Cat ran beside her.

Cat's eyes glistened with excitement. "Are you sure you and Beck had a fight? Like, a might-cause-him-to-break-up-with-you fight?"

Jade turned, making Cat lower her gaze. "It wasn't a big, loud fight. We might still be together."

Cat nodded, the excitement now missing from her face. "Okay then... Hey, d'you kinda maybe sorta know if Beck kinda maybe likes girls with red hair?" The excitement came back as quickly as it had left.

Jade smiled sweetly. "He likes you just fine, Cat, but if you want to know for sure if he likes redheads, you can go ask him."

"That's such a good idea. I'll be back soon, okay?" Cat ran back through the doors.

Jade put her hand to her mouth to hide her laughter. Cat was usually strange, but it was those occasional moments of cheerful childishness that reminded her why the perky redhead was her best friend. At a moment like this, Jade needed Cat's oddball personality. It helped her to get over nervousness. Now, Jade was almost at the point of panicking. The DVD in her bag contained her group film, not in the way that it had been planned, but Jade's modified version. She hadn't had a chance to tell Beck or Tori about the changes, but if she did, how would they react?

Out of the corner of her eye, Jade saw Tori and Andre coming through the door.

"Really, I'm not surprised. That's how Jade rolls. She hates happy endings." Andre was his usual, casual self.

Tori, on the other hand, was picking at her shirt, uneasy. "So the ending is okay? There's no blood or anything, but I want to make absolutely sure we won't get into trouble."

"You'll be fine." Andre's eyes met Jade's. "Hey, Jade. Anybody sitting here?" He pointed to the farthest chair in the row.

Jade shook her head. She moved to the side so Andre could pass. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mr. Gradstien come into the theatre. Jade joined the line of students handing in films. Somebody tugged at her sleeve. Jade turned to see Tori standing beside her. As the line moved, Tori moved too, staying parallel to Jade.

Tori was looking for some sort of reassurance in the goth's eyes. "Are we going to get in trouble for the film?"

"Don't be silly, Tori. Everything is going to go perfectly..." Jade handed the DVD to Mr. Gradstein. "... I hope."

"You hope?" Tori's eyes grew wide.

"I hope we can all get As. I know we're not going to have any trouble. Now go sit down." Jade pushed Tori into the seat next to Andre before sitting down herself.

Cat pulled Beck into the theatre. "You won't know until you ask her, so come on in and ask her."

"All right!" Beck stopped walking just inside the door. "I'll ask her if you stop trying to pull my arm out of its socket."

"Oh. Sorry." Cat dropped Beck's arm, her eyes filled with guilt.

Beck pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. He walked over to the row where Andre, Tori, and Jade were sitting. Resting his arm against the chair at the end of the row, he took deep breaths, preparing to ask. Jade scooched away from Beck.

"Okay, class." Mr. Gradstein stood at the front of the class, in front of the projector. "In a couple of minutes, we are going to present the projects you have been working on for the past week. Please find your seats."

Students scrambled to find a chair without a butt in it. Beck took the seat beside Jade, much to Jade's dismay. Cat took the next available seat, and Robbie snuck into the seat next to Cat. Rex sat on Robbie's knee, as usual. Sinjin took the chair at the end of the row.

Once everybody was seated, Mr. Gradstein held up one of the DVDs. "Well done, students. You never cease to impress me with your wild antics as you vainly attempt to procure proper seating. Now you have found your seats, it is time to watch the first of your student films. It was made by-"

"Good Gandhi, I hope I'm not too late!" Mr. Sikowitz burst through the doors, running towards Mr. Gradstein.

Mr. Gradstein's eyes shot wide open, and his hands went over his clean-shaven face. "Erwin, what in the world is the meaning of this?"

"I don't have a class this period. I heard you were showing the movies and decided to come down and watch. It's more interesting than lesson plans." Sikowitz sat in a seat at the back of the class, making it clear he would not be leaving any time soon. "I won't be any trouble, A."

Mr. Gradstein put his hands back by his sides. "I hope not. Now, where were we?"

"Telling us about the first movie, sir!" Sinjin shouted from his seat.

Mr. Gradstein examined the DVD. "Thank you, Sinjin Van Cleef. As I was about to announce before I was so rudely interrupted by this scarf-wearing buffoon, this student film was made by Victoria Vega, Beckett Oliver, and Jade West. Their movie is known as 'Steel Your Heart', with 'steel' spelt with two 'e's. That's one mark off for having a spelling error in the title."

Tori slumped down in her seat. "It was a play on words!"

The DVD player in Mr. Gradstein's computer popped open. Mr. Gradstien carefully put the disk into the player and shut the player. Whirring noises could be heard as the computer loaded the film. More whirring filled the room as Mr. Gradstein brought down the white backdrop screen, which the films would be projected onto.

The backdrop was lit up with colours as the menu screen popped up. Tori's joyful face slid across the screen, followed by a shot of Beck coming out of the restaurant. The camera zoomed out of Jade's angry face as the menu options came up. There were only two options, "Play Movie" and "Select Scene". Mr. Gradstein chose the latter. Three scenes appeared, and Mr. Gradstein wrote something on his PearPad. He sat down seconds before he played the full movie.

The movie opened on a fancy restaurant. Jill entered, nervous. Her sparkly dress was high standard, even for this restaurant. She sat down at one of the tables and took her phone out of her clutch purse. She stared at it for a few seconds before she put her head in her hands. Alan looked over at Jill. Seeing the tears starting to roll down her face, he walked over to her.

He put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, miss?"

Jill lifted her head. Mascara had streaked her face, and her blush was smudged. "No, no, I'm not okay. My boyfriend said he was going to meet me here for a make-up dinner and he canceled at the last possible second. Every time I try to see him, he always accepts but says he has to work. I don't know why I keep trusting him. It's so clear that he's just going out with his secretary. Oh, why would anybody do that?" She put her head down again.

Alan lifted up Jill's chin. "Maybe he doesn't appreciate what a beautiful girlfriend he has."

Jill sent a text message. "He doesn't have a girlfriend anymore. I just told him it's over."

Alan nodded, then wrote something down on his notepad. "You know, I'm technically not supposed to do this, but for a girl as beautiful as you are, I'm willing to risk it."

Alan ripped the page out of his notepad and put in Jill's hands. Silently, Alan went back to his job, leaving Jill alone again. Jill took a few deep breaths and counted to three. On three, she opened the paper Alan had given her.

"You shouldn't have to be left alone. Call me?" Jill read. A smile spread across her lips. "Yes! Yes, I will call you!"

Jill jumped up, squealing with excitement. The other patrons glared at the joyful girl disrupting their meal. Jill didn't care about the others. Hope glinted in her eyes as she skipped towards the restaurant door. Her phone fell out of her purse, landing with a thud on the restaurant floor. She turned back, grinning sheepishly, and picked it up before heading outside.

"How profound! The girl dropping her phone symbolizes her clumsiness and excitement for meeting the boy." Mr. Gradstein wrote more in his PearPad.

Tori sank even further in her chair. "That was just an accident."

Jill smiled as she walked down the street, starting off the second scene. Alan waved from further down the street.

"Oh, hey!" Jill ran over to Alan. "I didn't recognized you. You should have worn the waiter's uniform. It's cute."

Alan smirked and brushed some hair out of his eyes. "That uniform isn't as comfy as it looks."

"That's a shame..." Jill grabbed Alan's arm. "But we should go do something. What do you wanna do? Karaoke, bowling, dinner, catch a movie, what?"

Alan's smirk changed to a more neutral expression. "Actually, I should probably tell you something first. See, before you, I dated this girl, Mara. She was pretty, and funny, but she was a little crazy. I broke up with her because she was so strange and out of touch with reality. She never cared until I broke up with her, and now she's following me everywhere. I don't want you to get hurt."

Jill just laughed. She smiled as she told Alan not to worry about the other girl, almost bragging about how much better she was. The camera pulled back to reveal a black head of hear hiding in the bushes. It was Mara, holding a pair of binoculars to his face. She ducked behind a tree when Jill dragged Alan down the street. She watched as Jill tried to pull something from Alan's grasp.

"Just what on earth is that girl doing?" Mara leaned towards the couple, trying to get a better look.

Jill yanked Alan's phone out of his hands.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Alan tried to get his phone back.

Jill started searching Alan's contacts. "I want to call Mara. If she gets to know me, she won't worry about me being with you."

Alan stopped trying to get his phone back. "You can try it. Just be careful."

The camera cut back to Mara, who was peeking through fronds of a bush, trying to understand what Jill was doing. A bright, cheerful, chirping tune began to play. Mara took out her own phone and held it to her chest, attempting to silence it as she left the scene.

The third scene took place later, at night. Mara swung open the door, revealing a cheery Jill. Mara let Jill into her house. Mara's cold, snide attitude told that she knew she had the upper hand, while Jill's bubbly attitude told of her completely oblivious nature. Mara lead Jill into the kitchen. While Jill was distracted by cookies, Mara picked up the scissors. She walked over to Jill, leaning in so she was inches from Jill's face.

Jill turned around, complimenting Mara's cooking. She saw how close Mara's face was to her own. "Your eyelashes are really pretty."

Mara's facade slipped for a second. She got back into her icy persona before raising the scissors over her head in a dramatic fashion. She inhaled, adjusting her grip on the scissors. She threw them at Jill's head. A shriek rang through the room as Jill dodged the scissors, which bounced off the stove and landed on the floor.

Jill's eyes began to water as she looked up at Mara. "Why are you doing this?"

Mara's facade broke. The cold exterior gave way to a tired, out of touch girl. "Because I love you."

Jill looked back at Mara, bewildered.

"I love you, and I was worried Alan would take you from me. I was afraid, Jill. I wanted to take you from him, but now I know I can't do that. There's only one thing I can do."

Mara threw herself at Jill. The two fell to the ground. Mara brought her head down towards Jill's as the scene faded to black.

The class was silent as they took in the twisted ending. Then, the room began to fill with clapping and voices.

Sikowitz stood up, cheering. "Bravo!"

Sinjin giggled to himself.

Cat crawled across Beck to reach Jade. "You're like those Russian girls!"

Rex's mouth hung open. "That's hot."

Andre stared at the screen. "I didn't see that coming."

Robbie glared at his puppet. "Rex..."

Beck was silent.

"What in the world was that ending supposed to mean?"

Tori and Jade looked up into the face of Mr. Gradstein. He was snarling, his eyebrows knitted together. "Were you really trying to imply something of such caliber in my class? If you thought you could get away with it, you are dead wrong. Go to Lane's office!"

Tori held her hands in front of her face. "I didn't know-"

"Silence!" The angered teacher was clearly not to be messed with. "There are to be no excuses. I want you all to Lane's office. Yes, that includes you, Beck Oliver."

The trio of students stood up slowly, trying to avoid the teacher's wrath. They turned towards the door. At the same time, they ran out of the dark classroom and into the welcoming hallway.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry I didn't have an author's note last chapter. I was traveling over the weekend, so I didn't have a lot of time. If I had time, I would have said the long speech delivered by Jade at the end of chapter 3 is a monolouge. You can use it and any future monolouges in auditions.

I'm hoping you all are enjoying the story so far. Thanks to Do vd Graaf, CatHeartsU, Invader Johnny, ScottyBgood, mennanenna, FrankieHughes96, IsabelaRedHead, kritiasthegod, and Azkadellio, who have reviewed my fanfiction. Also, thanks to MeltingSunlight, my awesome beta reader.

If you know what Cat meant by "those Russian girls", let me know in your review.


	5. Exactly Where I'm Supposed to Be

Beck, Jade, and Tori gathered outside Lane's office. Through the window in Lane's office door, Tori could see Lane applying lotion to his hands. He turned away from the door and began to adjust the books in his office.

Beck pulled Jade aside. "Was that what you meant by 'things I would never understand?'"

Jade looked away from Beck. She knew she would have to face the consequences of her plan, but she had never truly prepared herself for it. She tried to find a response that would serve as a good enough explanation. A one-word answer would be too simple. Beck moved into Jade's line of vision, so Jade looked the other way.

Tori was sitting on the floor, her head resting in her hands. She could see Beck and Jade's feet between her fingers. Her heart told her to get up and talk to them, and try to ask Jade why she made the change she did, but her head warned this would be a bad time. Tori listened to her head. If Jade wanted her to speak, Jade would ask her to.

Jade saw the small changes in Tori's body language. She glanced up at Beck and saw more small changes in facial expression. The changes were different, but they meant the same thing. The changes signaled hesitance, confusion, anger, and sorrow. Jade had hurt two of the people she cared the most about.

"Yea," Jade made eye contact with Beck again. "That's what I meant."

The door to Lane's office swung open. Lane looked at the three teenagers in the hallway. "Should I be expecting you?"

"Mr. Gradstein sent us here." Tori stood up. "It's about a project..."

Lane looked up at the celling in disbelief. "He's always doing things like this. You'd better come in."

Lane held the door open so Tori, Beck, and Jade could enter. Once they were inside, Lane sat down in the wicker chair that hung from the ceiling. Jade and Tori took the two chairs that were already in the office. Beck found a chair in the back of the room.

Lane leaned forward. "What happened in Mr. Gradstein's class? I need to know if this is as big a deal as he says it is. He likes making a big deal about nothing."

"We've noticed." Beck folded his arms.

Tori adjusted her hair. "Jade should probably explain. She knows more about this than any of us. I mean, she edited in some clips that I didn't think would be there. Beck might have known."

Beck looked at Tori. "I talked to her the night before, but it wasn't about the film. I was as surprised as you were."

Tori's heartbeat sped up. "Are you sure you didn't mention the change to you, or even implied she was changing something? Something like that is way too big a deal to just be changed at the last minute. Part of it wasn't even in the script!"

"What was the film about?" Lane snapped the two out of their debate.

"The movie was supposed to have a love triangle, stage fighting, and at least two set changes or locations." Tori took a few deep breaths before continuing. "We decided the love triangle would be between the three of us, and there would be a twist at the end with Jade's character killing my character. That's how we filmed it. But something happened, and Jade changed it from her character killing my character to... being in love... with her." As Tori told Lane what the change was, she understood exactly what Jade had done.

Jade stared at the floor as Tori spoke. While Tori explained what the project was originally supposed to be, Jade made little circles with her foot. It was only when Tori started so struggle with her words that Jade lifted her head. Jade's eyes met Tori's. Silent words were exchanged.

Lane swung in his chair as he processed the information. "So Mr. Gradstein was angry because two characters in a student film were lesbians?"

Jade broke her silence. "Yea."

Lane's lips twitched into a smile. "And that's all?"

"Yea."

Lane covered his mouth to stifle his sudden burst of laughter. "Ok, I understand. He's like that a lot. He's a conservative fussbudget. You might get docked a few grades because of your risky move, but I'm not going to do anything. This isn't the first time it's happened. It won't be the last time. You're fine."

Beck breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Lane." He turned to face Jade. "Why'd you change the film?"

Tori turned to face Jade too. "You could have at least told us in advance."

"I couldn't have." Jade's breathing was heavy. "You would have known about this... about me."

"About you?" Tori and Lane's confused voices rang through the office.

Beck immediately understood. "Last night, you said that there was something that, if I knew what is was, would make me confused and concerned, and that it would be painful for me. This is more than just the movie, isn't it? This is how you're, for a lack of a better term, coming out."

Jade nodded. That simple head movement sent the other teen's emotions over the top. Tori's heart began to race. Her face turned red, and she looked down to try to hide the smile she felt sneaking up on her. The head movement had given Tori massive amounts of hope.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Beck. Beck's heartbeat slowed down. Colour drained from his cheeks, and though he also looked down, he did so to hide the glistening tears he knew would soon arrive. Over and over, he tried to push away the grief that welled up with the tears.

Lane walked over to Beck and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know it's tough. You and Jade were one of the most popular couples at Hollywood Arts. Everybody admired you two. To have it end like this must be hard on you. It's like something out of one of the soap operas my wife watches. This school's usually like a comedy."

Jade watched Lane comfort Beck. Though his face was turned away from her, she knew his expression was pained. They had had so many ups and downs as a couple. She had fussed, but he had stayed by her. He had given direction, and she had followed. He had cared about her even when they weren't together. Their breakups had always hurt, but this one was excruciating, and not just for Beck.

"You said I should be more honest. This is the honest me." Jade's chest began to heave as she recalled all the memories. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that the past two years have been worthless. I'm sorry I let you get expectations that couldn't be reached. I'm sorry that after all we've been through, it's turned out to be a lie. It's not that I don't love you- really, I do. I just don't love you in the same way that you love me. When we first started dating, I was happier than I'd ever been in my life. You were kind, caring, gentle, like a fairy-tale prince. Every day was filled with excitement. I wanted to be by your side forever.

"Then I realized I wasn't in love with you. I was in love with dating and all the thrills that came with it. I mean, I still loved you, but not in the way I thought. When I realized I liked girls, I got scared. I wanted somewhere safe to shelter myself from that fear. You were already there, so I stuck with you. My life started to become a struggle. I pushed away the strange and kept the familiar. Then, last night, you told me I should be more honest, and you'd understand me better if I was. I didn't want you to keep chasing your tail, so I changed the movie. You have every right to be mad at me. Go ahead. Yell. I deserve it." Jade descended into sobs.

Beck turned back to Jade. "I'm not going to yell. I'm not mad at you. I'm not even surprised."

"What?" Jade spoke between sniffles.

Beck walked over to Jade. "I've been suspecting something was up for a while now. This confirms it. It's over for good." Beck stared into Jade's blue eyes, not moving an inch. "Date whoever you want."

Jade gave Beck an understanding nod. When she looked back down, Beck sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. Lane held open the door and signaled that Beck could go back to class. Beck smiled as he left. The door swung closed. Its thud was the last sound before silence fell.

With Beck gone, the only thing Jade could do was look at Tori. The black locks around Jade's face hid her blushing. She felt strangely awkward when Tori glanced up for a second. Jade threaded her fingers together, trying to hide her emotions.

Lane kept the door open. "You girls can go too, if you'd like."

The tension in the room immediately lifted. Jade stood up immediately, adjusting her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tori stand up too. The two girls rushed out of the office. Jade shot Lane a quick smile as she went back to class. She didn't know what was come of her coming-out, but she hoped it wouldn't it be too dramatic.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The cat is out of the bag! Or, should I say, "The Jade is out of the closet?"

Speaking of Cat, Ariana Grande had a vocal chord haemorrhage. My wishes are with her, and I hope yours are too.

Thanks to everybody who's been reviewing. You're all awesome! If you have ideas for something that could happen in the story, suggest them. They might make it in.

Back in Chapter 2, I asked my readers (you) to figure out the theme for my chapter titles. Nobody responded. Now I'm re-introducing the title theme and giving you guys a few clues. The answer will be posted with the next chapter.

Clues:

1. Nothing is being spelled out in the chapter titles

2. There is a magic word that connects all of the titles

3. Sometimes I hear the titles on my own, other times I look them up.

4. The next three titles are "Wonder 'Til I'm Wide Awake", "Letters I Will Never Send", and "Change is Good".

Good Luck!

**Writing Tracker:**

This will be displayed at the bottom of the Author's Notes. It's a way for you guys to see how far I am, and a way to keep myself responsible for making new chapters. Please remember that the chapters will only be released every Friday. I know you can wait. The actual Victorious show filmed a whole season at a time.

Chapter Being Written: Chapter 7

Last Chapter Planned Out: Chapter 20


	6. Wonder 'Til I'm Wide Awake

Moonlight streamed through Tori's bedroom, casting shadows everywhere. It caught on her mirror and glinted off the shiny Pearphone clad in a blue case, which sat on her nightstand. Tori laid on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was thinking about how her day had gone. It had been fairly normal until Mr. Gradstein's class. Jade's video had bothered her, andTori had been frazzled ever since. The reason was simple enough: Jade West was lesbian.

Tori had never expected Jade to be a homosexual. Jade had convinced her, along with everyone else, that she loved Beck. The two were close, rarely separated physically and almost never separated emotionally. They were always holding hands, or at least standing beside each other. Beck would tease Jade often, Beck was one of only a few people who could control Jade, Jade was politer to Beck than she was with anyone else, and Jade was extremely protective of Beck. On Tori's first day at Hollywood Arts, Jade dumped coffee on Tori because she was "rubbing her boyfriend." When Jade faked having a black eye, Beck became protective. Jade wanted to believe her relationship with Beck would work out. Even after Beck and Jade broke up, Beck tried to take care of Jade's feelings.

As Tori thought of Jade's past interactions with Beck, she tried to connect them to interactions she had with Jade. Tori had a small crush on Jade since the day they met. Their relationship had been full of ups and downs. It had started off coldly, with Jade hating Tori and Tori not being able to understand Jade. Tori took a punishment that Jade should have had because she didn't want to fight with Jade. When Tori and Jade pulled off producing Jade's play Well Wishers and the two hugged for the first time, Tori felt over the moon. Their fights hurt, and any time Jade was nice to her, it made Tori's day. Since Jade had played Tori's wife in a school play, Tori's feelings had grown. Now there was a definite possibility that Jade could have a crush on her.

Try as she might, Tori couldn't get this thought out of her mind. It was such a great prospect that Tori couldn't help but be enchanted by the idea of her and Jade becoming a couple. She wasn't sure if Jade liked her, but if she didn't ask, she'd never know. Tori reached for her blue Pearphone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found Jade's phone number.

Message to:

**Jade West**

_Hey Jade._

Tori stared at the two words she had typed. Doubt and hesitance began to fill her mind. Tori deleted the message. A popup came up, stating she had a new message from The Slap. She opened The Slap to find herself on Beck's Slap page. At the top of the page a new icon had appeared underneath the number of followers he had, signaling his new relationship status. A few seconds later, a notice came up saying Beck had posted a status.

After refreshing the page, the status came up. "To all who keep asking, I was NOT told about the change in our movie. Not that those changes were a bad thing..." The mood was "Concerned." The smilie face above the mood looked back and forth, as if the little yellow circle had no idea how it ended up on a social media website designed for high school kids.

Tori scrolled down on Becks' Slap page until she found the Pix section. Many of the photos Beck was slapped in also had Jade in them. She looked through several pictures with the two together before switching to pictures Jade was slapped in. She looked at pictures of Jade in a cheese costume and threatening the camera with a giant fork, Jade in a fancy purple gown trying to catch the Flour Bomber, Jade posing with Cat on a submarine set, Jade at the Cow-Wow, and Jade preforming You Don't Know Me. The last image made Tori catch her breath. Cruel lyrics to the song played in her mind. Jade's song had warned the listeners didn't know or get her, and the listener had no idea what they were getting into. The lyrics may have been truer than first thought.

The music in Tori's head was interrupted by a creaking sound. She rolled over to see Trina bursting into her room, waving her Pearphone in the air.

Trina showed no qualms about barging into Tori's bedroom. "Knock knock, enter enter!"

"Um, come in?" Tori propped herself up on her arms.

"Did you see Beck's new Slap status?" Trina rushed over to her younger sister's bed.

Tori ducked her head. "Yea, I did."

"Weren't you doing a movie with Beck?" Trina leaned towards Tori.

"Yes..."

"So you know what the change to the movie is."

"I saw the movie and the script, so yea, I did."

Trina sat down on Tori's bed. "Did you know about this awesome change?"

"No, I didn't have a clue, and the change is really small anyway." Tori looked at her alarm clock, picked it up, and held it up to Trina's face. "Golly, would you just look at the time!" Tori spoke in her Julia Garland impression.

Trina rubbed her eyes and stared as the clock, then checked the time on her phone. "It's so late! My beauty sleep is going to be ruined!"

As Trina rushed out of Tori's bedroom, Tori put her clock back on her nightstand and smiled. Trina was so easy to get rid of. All Tori had to do was imply she wouldn't look good and she would take care of the rest.

With Trina out of the way, Tori turned her attention back to her phone. She thought about Jade some more, and blushed. Words in her mind began to form some sentences. She found Jade's number again.

Message To:

**Jade West**

Her fingers hovered over the letters at the bottom of the screen.

_Heya, Jade. I've been thinking about our movie project. How do you think it turned out?"_

Tori frowned. That sounded a little too direct for Jade. She needed to lead in to the topic.

_Hi. What are you doing?_

Tori mimicked Jade's voice. "Going to bed. What did you think, moron?"

She deleted the message. She slid her phone across her nightstand. Sighing, she laid down on her bed. The thought she would never know whether Jade felt the same way about her as she felt about Jade made her disappointed as she fell asleep.

* * *

I wonder what Jade is doing during this chapter...

Sorry about the upload delay. The site was fixing server problems when I was trying to upload this. Next chapter will be uploaded on Thursday due to my not being in town on the usual upload date.

**Writing Tracker:**

This will be displayed at the bottom of the Author's Notes. It's a way for you guys to see how far I am, and a way to keep myself responsible for making new chapters. Please remember that the chapters will only be released every Friday. I know you can wait. The actual Victorious show filmed a whole season at a time.

Chapter Being Written: Chapter 8

Last Chapter Planned Out: Chapter 24


	7. Letters I Will Never Send

Jade's bedroom was dark. An eclectic collection of lamps were scattered around the room, but all were off. Most of the things were neutral colors, with red thrown in to enhance the traditionally gothic atmosphere. Dead butterflies were arranged in picture frames. A few candles sat in the corners of the room. The collection of lights were all turned off and the sole window was covered by black curtains.

A computer monitor was the only source of light in the room. It flickered on Jade's face as she watched her movie again. She had been watching the movie over and over, trying to lift the guilt she felt about Beck and the uncertainty she felt about Tori. There was something in her heart she knew she couldn't keep down, but how could she express it. Jade looked at the icons on her PearBook and the answer became clear.

Jade opened the e-mail on her computer. Leaving the "Send To" line blank, she began to type.

Subject: The Movie

Compose Message:

_Tori,_

_I've been wanting to talk to you about the movie. I know we talked about it with Lane already, but I wanted to talk to you alone. This is important to me. I wanted to tell you in person, but I can't keep myself quiet for that long. I trust you._

_You may think that changing Mara to like Jill was only there because Jill was the only other female character. If you think that, you're wrong. Mara really liked Jill for Jill's personality. It was so bright it sparkled like silver. Every day, when Mara saw Jill, her heart would race. Mara tried to deny it because it would become troublesome, but the more Mara interacted with Jill, the more she fell in love. Eventually, she had to break free and do something, anything, to show her feelings._

_By Mara, I mean me._

_And by Jill, I mean you._

_I guess there's nothing else to say. I like you. I like you a lot. I like you far more than I should._

_I didn't always like you. When we first met I saw you as a threat, but after you took the detention and cleaning up the food fight when I should have been cleaning it, I began to hate you a little bit less. When you helped me fund Well Wishes and then got everybody to help me keep Mrs. Lee away from the theater, I hated you even less. Every time you did something nice for me, a little more hate was replaced with something I don't want to admit. By the time we played Walter and Nancy, the hate was completely gone._

_I made the change to get my feelings out. The feeling that's built up so much I want to know if it's worth having._

_So now you know._

_And being informed is half of the fight._

_From,_

_Jade_

Writing the message felt good. She poured every emotion she could into it. After reading the message over, she noticed something was missing. She held the enter key down until there was a large gap under her name. Then she wrote again.

_Jade West loves Tori Vega_

_I LOVE TORI VEGA_

With heavy keystrokes, Jade typed the last line four more times. Emotion began to take over. Jade pulled her hands away from the keyboard and read the whole message. Worries entered Jade's mind. She wasn't sure if she wanted to send it. On one hand, she wanted to know if Tori felt the same way, but on the other hand, somebody might find out. Again, Jade found herself trapped between emotions and social appearance, happiness and status, truth and acting.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts.

Jade turned around in the chair. "Go away, mom. I'm doing homework." Jade minimized the e-mail.

A familiar giggle came through the door. "I'm not your mom!"

"Cat!" Jade jumped out of her chair and yanked open the door. "What are you doing here?"

Cat hugged her purple giraffe, Mr. Purples. "Well, my Nona has to babysit overnight and I don't wanna sleep on my own, so I thought, 'Why don't I stay at Jade's house?' So I'm here now!" With her large eyes and slightly downturned mouth, Cat looked like a guilty puppy.

Jade's stoic expression hid her reaction to Cat's puppy eyes, but it slipped out in her vocal tone. "Come in."

Cat pulled a striped, pink, wheeled bag into Jade's room. The wheels clattered on Jade's floor as she pulled it.

"Wait." Jade's voice made Cat freeze in terror. "How did you get in my house?"

"Magic." Cat started to move again.

"Really?" Jade shook her head.

"No!" Cat propped her bag against Jade's bed. "Your mom let me in. You didn't hear me ring the doorbell?"

Jade's look of disbelief turned to one of remembering vague scenes. "Oh, right. I heard something, but I didn't think it was you. Mrs. West has a lot of house guests some days. I thought you were just another one of them."

Cat thought about a few of the snobby, stuck-up people Mrs. West, Jade's stepmother, had had over. "Well, none of them have red hair."

"Right." Jade smiled. Cat always knew how to make her feel better.

Jade and Cat began to set up their impromptu sleepover. While Cat went to the bathroom to change into her pajamas, Jade took a pillow from her bed, a quilt from a drawer, and pushed a couple chairs together to make a rough, but effective bed. Jade made up her normal bed so Cat would be more comfortable.

Cat came back into Jade's bedroom, wearing the pink candy-patterned onesie she had worn when everybody tried to ride a giant cupcake in a parade and got stuck on the bad side of town. She wasn't affected by the dark memories. Jade picked up her own pajamas when she saw Cat come back in.

Cat stood in the doorway. "Can I use your computer? I need to check my e-mail."

"Yea, but log out of my stuff first." Jade pushed past Cat.

"Okay!" Cat's voice was cheerful, as usual.

Jade shut the bathroom door behind her. As she changed from her day clothes into black pajamas, she thought about the past week. Cat had certainly been more cheerful than she was throughout the whole week, but both the girls' weeks had gotten better. Making one change to the movie and explaining why she had done it had lifted a huge weight off her shoulders. She could trust Tori, Beck, and Lane to keep her secret. Writing the e-mail to Tori helped, even if Tori would never be able to read it. Jade buttoned up her pajama shirt and looked in the mirror.

"You did a good thing, Jade." She brushed some hair out of her eyes before opening the bathroom door.

When Jade came back to her bedroom, she found Cat sitting at her computer.

Cat exited out of the web browser. "Thanks for letting me check that. I get updates on the location of Cat Valentine every five minutes."

"But you're Cat Valentine..." Jade tried to think if she'd heard of any other Cat Valentines.

"I know!" Cat smiled as she bounced out of her chair. "The GPS person-finder thingy they use always gets my location wrong. According to them, I'm somewhere east of Vermont!"

"Well, maybe your brain is." Jade crossed her arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cat looked down, frowning.

Jade put her hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I was kidding, Cat." A yawn escaped her lips. "Maybe we should go to bed now. We've got school in the morning."

The two girls laid down in their respective beds. Jade rolled over, staring at the patterned walls.

"Goodnight, Jade."

"Night, Cat" Jade turned out the lights.

A silence fell. Jade stared at the wall, attempting to trace the curvy patterns with her eyes. It was a pointless endeavor, but it had helped her get to sleep before, and it was far more mature and dignified than counting sheep. She found the repetition of the patters relaxing. It often put her into a more creative state of mind. The walls were her security blanket, and within them, she was always safe. It had been between these four walls when she wrote her plays. In these rooms, she had paced the floor thinking of the perfect demise for a character. Yesterday, these walls had given her comfort as she made the changes to Steel Your Heart. Jade let out a soft sigh, knowing the result of that action. Tomorrow, she was sure, little would have changed. Only three people would know anything different about her.

"Oh!" Cat's voice pulled Jade from her thoughts.

Jade flipped over to face Cat. "What's wrong?"

Cat sat up. "You know the e-mail you wrote to Tori?"

"Yes..." Jade wondered where the perky girl was taking this.

"I sent it."

"You couldn't have. There wasn't an address."

"So I put it in."

Jade desperately hoped Cat couldn't see the mix of shock and fear in her eyes. "Why would you do something like that? Ask me before you send my stuff to people!"

"Sorry." Cat mumbled, clearly two seconds away from sleep. "But maybe she didn't get it. It could have bounced back or something."

"Right... You know, it could have bounced back. Tori will never even know that e-mail existed."

As Jade fell asleep, one phrase rang in her mind.

_"Tori won't get the message... I hope..."_

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This is about the point where you should start paying attention to details. I hid an important plot point int here. If you don't see it, don't worry, it'll be explained later.

**Writing Tracker:**

I combined several chapters this week, so this is why the chapter count is lower.

Chapter Being Written: Chapter 9

Last Chapter Planned Out: Chapter 24


	8. Change is Good

"Where's Tori Vega?" Jade charged through the throngs of students milling in the hallways before class. "Has anybody seen Tori Vega?"

Though her methods of searching were harsh, and her voice was loud, nobody was able to give her a positive answer. Every time a frightened "no" reached her ears, she became slightly more frustrated and worried. She pushed onward with her search, interrogating her peers and constantly scanning the crowd for a sign of Tori's face. All her searching did was make the other Hollywood Arts students run in the opposite direction. Cat ran behind her, screaming for her stuffed giraffe, which Jade had crammed into her backpack.

Jade spotted a dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks standing next to a locker with a keyboard on it. "Andre!"

The boy, Andre, jumped up when he heard Jade's voice. "W-what?"

"Have you seen Tori around here?" Jade's eyes darted around.

Andre shook his head, "Sorry, Jade. I haven't seen her since yesterday. I'll let you know if I do."

Jade smiled for a split second before pushing back through the crowds, this time going towards the doors.

Cat ran in front of Jade. "C'mon, gimme back Mr. Purples!"

"I will give him back as long as Tori didn't get that message. Otherwise, I'm keeping him." Jade pushed Cat out of the way.

Every few minutes, the doors would open and more students would pour in. Jade knew Tori would always come in through these doors, so there was a good chance of catching her as she came into the building.

Still, Jade continued to yell her question. "Have any of you seen Tori Vega?"

The double doors swung open. Another crowd of students pushed through those doors. Most of them were unimportant to Jade, but she did recognize a few faces. At the back of the crowd was a face she recognized very well, a face with high cheekbones and brown eyes framed by curly brown hair. Tori.

Jade rushed through the crowds at speeds even greater than before, causing the students to part like waves. Tori froze in the middle of the wave, her eyes fixed on Jade. She smiled as Jade ran up to her.

"There you are!" Jade stopped in front of the girl she had been seeking.

Tori examined Jade's frightened features. "Hey, Jade. Something wrong?"

The crowd around the two girls began to move again.

Jade looked down, hoping her flustered emotions wouldn't show. "Did you get an email from me last night?"

Tori stood in thought for a few seconds. "No..."

A well of relief sprung up inside Jade. "Oh, good, I was hoping you wouldn't-"

"I got it this morning."

"What?" Jade's shocked exclamation sent students running in all directions.

Tori suspected that would be Jade's reaction. Seeing the students run away from them, she became nervous. The four words she wanted to say were caught in her throat. The shock and embarrassment she had felt when she first read the message washed over her again. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Four words managed to escape Tori's throat, but they were not the right words. "I read it all."

Jade stood there, barely breathing. Tori saw the horror in Jade's eyes as Jade attempted to process the information. Jade opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. Jade was fighting with her own mind, just as Tori was. The crowds of students were starting to close in, and Tori became nervous. She knew something had to be done.

Acting on instinct, she grabbed Jade's wrist and pulled her into the janitor's closet. She hoped in the small closet, she could get the real words out of her mouth. Jade snapped out of her shock enough to move without tripping. Tori pulled Jade into the closet and swung the door closed behind her.

Jade examined Tori's face. Tori was smiling, but the smile was fake. Her eyes were constantly shifting, looking at Jade, then looking away. Her cheeks were flushed. Her chest heaved as she tried to form words.

At last, Tori spoke. "I read every single word and... I thought it was really sweet of you."

"Thanks." Jade looked away.

Tori twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "The part about hating me a little bit less was so charming, and I was excited when you said the hate was gone after we played Walter and Nancy. I never thought you would like doing that show, and I know that's so hard for you to say, but now I have something to say. It means a lot to me."

Jade looked back at Tori, eyes wide. She nodded.

The four words Tori had wanted to say finally came out. "I love you too."

"You do?"

"Yea," Tori let the lock of hair fall. "I want to be with you, Jade, and I really hope you'll let me be with you. I want to be like Walter and Nancy, like Jill and Mara, but not just on the stage or on the screen. I want to be a real couple," Tori took Jade's hand. "With you."

Jade sighed. "Why did you think I sent you that message?"

"Because you wanted to be with me?" Tori's confusion came through in her voice.

"I never meant to send the e-mail. It was a mistake." Jade raised her voice. She tightened her grip on her backpack.

Tori's eyes widened. She instinctively raised her hands to cover her face.

Jade looked straight into Tori's eyes. "If I had control over what had happened to that e-mail, you never, ever would have seen it."

Tori slowly lowered her hands, revealing a quiet, deadpan face. The only emotion was in her eyes, which were glistening with shock. She swallowed in an attempt to speak. Her lower lip quivered. She turned her head away from Jade, but her eyes stayed locked on Jade's. They were searching, praying that she had misheard Jade's words, or that it was all a joke, but Jade never faltered.

"How- how could you say that?" Tori's voice was barely above a whisper, but the words hit Jade like a tsunami. "I know you've done things to hurt me before, but this is just _low_. I trusted you, Jade, but now you've said that, how am I supposed to believe anything you ever told me? I want to trust you. I want to believe in you. And even if it was a mistake, that doesn't mean it's automatically bad. Tons of classic things were discovered because somebody screwed up. But I know one thing for sure. Sending that message may have been a mistake, but writing it was not.

"I know you're don't want to be hurt or made fun of. I think we should just try. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. If it does, then it does. But if you don't even bother trying, you'll never know what could have happened. Please just give it a chance."

Jade sighed. "You're right. It was stupid of me to say that. I'll try."

Tori held her arms out, her fingers outstretched, a giant smile forming on her face. "You know what you have to do now."

Jade shook her head. Then she walked towards Tori, a small smile playing on her lips. She wrapped her arms around Tori, and felt Tori's arms around her neck. Jade relaxed. In this embrace, she felt truly happy, and nothing would change that.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Well, it's about time!

**Writing Tracker:**

Chapter Being Written: Chapter 9

Last Chapter Planned Out: Chapter 24


	9. Give a Little Love

Jade left her class the moment the lunch bell rang. She made her way through the throngs of students that poured out of other classrooms, pushing most of them towards the brick walls. Like most of the other students, she turned into the main hallway. Her pace was quick. She had been dying to leave her script writing class. Even though no negative words had been exchanged, Mr. Gradstien had been passively criticizing her every move. The class left her bearing a bitter scowl and a nasty look in her eyes.

After putting her books in her locker, she scanned the hallway. Students lined the halls as they stopped at their lockers, chatting as they exchanged heavy books and binders for lunch money. One locker in particular caught Jade's attention. It was painted with a black silhouette of a skyline, with words in bright colours proclaiming "Make it Shine". When a button on the side of the locker was pressed, it would do exactly that. Jade smiled as she remembered the locker's history.

She tiptoed behind the brunette in front of the locker. The girl was lost in thought, in other words, a perfect target. Without a sound, Jade breathed deeply, allowing the air to go as deeply into her lungs as possible.

"Boo!"

Tori shrieked and spun around. Jade smirked at the sight of her wide eyes and open mouth.

Tori put her hand on her chest. "Jade...oh my goodness... what was that for?"

"Fun." Jade chuckled at her own practical joke.

"For you, sure, but nobody else likes somebody coming up behind them and saying-"

"Jade!"

Another voice, higher than the last two, cut through the conversation. Jade turned to see Cat standing behind her. The redhead's usual perky demeanor was not present. Instead, she was frowning, her hands firmly akimbo.

Cat took a step towards Jade. "Give me back Mr. Purple."

"No." Jade stood her ground. "I said I would give him back to you if Tori didn't get the e-mail, but she did, so I'm going to keep him."

Cat pointed at Jade. "I'm going to tell on you. You're kidnapping my giraffe. You're a giraffe-napper!"

Tori had to stifle a laugh as Cat and Jade bantered over who would have the giraffe. Eventually, the best friends came to a truce. Jade would keep the giraffe until the end of lunch. This arrangement seemed to upset Cat, but she didn't protest. Once the Battle of Mr. Purples was over, the three girls left the confines of the school building, walking straight into the warm California sunshine.

The girls made a beeline for their usual table at the Asphalt Cafe. It was closer to the school and the Grub Truck, so most of the students wanted to sit there. The threat of Jade was the only thing keeping people from taking those coveted seats. Today, a lone boy was already sitting at their table. Cat and Tori ran over to him, but Jade approached more cautiously. She knew the boy simply from his black t-shirt and fluffy black hair.

"Hey, Beck!" Cat sat right next to the boy.

Tori gave Beck more space. "Hey there!"

Beck returned the girls' greetings as Jade slid into the seat by Tori.

Jade looked up at her former boyfriend. "Hi, Beck. How've you been doing lately?"

"Pretty good." Beck scratched the back of his neck. "Nothing too big going on, just a couple of things here and there." He looked around the cafe. Seeing somebody, he stood up. "Hey, Dan, Steve. About that play..." Beck followed the other boys to a table on the other side of the cafe.

Cat let out a whimper. "Aww, now I feel lonely. I need a friend, a purple friend that can never ever leave, except when a giraffe-napper takes him."

Jade reached into her bag, pulling out the toy Cat had wanted since the beginning of the school day. She passed the stuffed animal to its owner. "Here."

Cat gasped. "Thank you!"

The redhead snatched her cherished childhood toy from Jade's grasp. She traced the seams on the giraffe's body, and caressed each of the purple spots. Giggling, she tickled the giraffes white nose. Then she held the stuffed animal by its front legs and spun him around.

"She's so cute!" Tori chuckled.

Jade nodded in agreement.

Cat held Mr. Purple at arms length. "Mr. Purple, look at you. Your mane's a mess. We have got to fix that." She put Mr. Purple under her arm. "See you in class, guys."

Waving goodbye, Cat walked back into school. Tori slid a little closer to Jade. She placed her arm next to Jade's so they were almost touching.

"So, since we're kind of a thing now, I was thinking maybe we could go on a date." Tori pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

Jade balked. "A date- with you? I get what you're trying to do, but no. That's weird."

Tori, undeterred, continued with her backup plan. "It doesn't have to be a regular date. It could be an opposite date. We'd-"

"You tried that with Beck and I didn't believe it for a second." Jade's retort was icy.

"Fine then." Tori mulled over her other options. She watched the other students talk and laugh. Beck was still sitting at the table with several other students. He didn't appear to be engaged in the conversation, only speaking occasionally. Beck seemed more focused on watching Jade than what was going on in front of him. That gave Tori an idea.

"We don't have to be the ones to date." Tori turned back to Jade.

Jade raised her head. "What do you mean?"

"Beck looks lonely over there." Tori hoped her plan would sound as good out loud as it did in her head. "We could set him up with somebody for a blind date, and then we'd be there too. Keeping an eye on things."

A nod from Jade. "I can think of a few girls. When would this not-date be?"

"Tomorrow, six o'clock, Kareoke Dokie."

"Sounds good." Jade stood. "You go ask Beck. I've got a little cutie to find."

Tori caught a glimpse of a smile as Jade opened the school doors. She was fairly sure her cheeks turned pink. Ignoring her blushing, she made her way through the cafe to reach Beck's table in what Andre called her "big news" walk. All boys looked up when she stood beside Beck.

Beck quickly wrapped up his previous conversation. "Hi, Tori. Can I help you?"

"I have a deal for you." Tori felt the corners of her mouth move up.

Beck turned so he was facing Tori. "I'm listening."

"I know you've been hurt about the whole Jade thing, so, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a blind date tomorrow at six?"

One of the other boys at the table was staring at Tori. "Wow. You get such cool girls to go out with you."

"I'm not going out with him!" Tori glared at the boy.

Beck cut off any potential argument. "I'm free then. Where is it?"

"It'll be at Kareoke Dokie."

"Cool. I'll be there." Beck smiled.

Tori smiled back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jade motioning to her. She rushed over to the beckoning girl.

"What'd Beck say?" Jade slid her phone in her pocket.

"He's coming. What's happening with the girl?"

"I got the first one I picked."

"Great!" Tori's cheerful demeanor shone through. "So, I guess I'll see you at the date."

"Don't worry your little head about it." Jade looked Tori in the eyes. "I'll be there. I promise."

* * *

**Author's Notes**: Happy National Coming Out Day!

I realize the last few chapters have been pretty heavy on setup, but trust me, the payoff is coming soon. I am sure you will smile.

There is a mistake in the last chapter that I didn't catch, but it was fixed for this chapter. If you can't find it, don't worry, I might have fixed it already.

**Writing Tracker:**

Chapter Being Written: Chapter 10

Last Chapter Planned Out: Chapter 26


	10. You in His Arms

By the time the Vega sisters arrived at Kareoke Dokie, the parking lot was crowded. Cars were constantly circling the lot. Trina could only move a few feet at a time before a reckless driver would cut her off to gain accesses to a coveted empty space. Usually, the under-18 club was busy, but it was normally only this packed on the weekend. Tori caught a glimpse of Beck's brown Pontiac GTO, but Jade's car was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, Trina managed to drive to the front door of the club.

Tori opened the passenger-side door. "Thanks for driving me, Trina."

"You're welcome. What time do you think your date will be over?"

"It's not my date, and I don't know yet." Tori slid out the door.

"If you're done before 6:30, call me. If you're done a second after then, you're finding your own way home. I have to practice my special yoga."

Tori thought about protesting, but then she remembered Trina's yoga involved turning the heat up to 120 degrees. "Sounds great... See ya."

Trina drove off the second the door was closed, making Tori jump back. Carefully, she walked to the sidewalk, adjusted her sparkly pink tank top, and went inside.

Kareoke Dokie was a madhouse. Pop music blared forth, with coloured lights blinking in time. Balloons were set up in the corners of the stage. The few waiters on staff rushed to make sure everybody's orders were filled. The DJ played a mixtape as a "bartender" mixed various kinds of sodas and juices. Tori saw Beck sitting alone at one of the tables, and the tables around him were all full. Scanning the room, she saw a group at a far table about to leave. She wasted no time taking the seats for Jade and herself.

As the music played through the room, a buzzing sound came from Tori's pocket. Tori yanked her phone out of her pocket. It buzzed in her hand, turning the screen on.

(2) Messages From:

**Jade West**

Tori swiped her phone to see her text messages.

Jade: I'm here, and I brought the special girl with me.

Jade: She'll be here in a couple of minutes. She's fixing her hair.

Tori stood up and put her phone back in her pocket. She saw Jade push she door open, and waved her over. When Jade came near Beck's table, Beck tensed up. He relaxed as she passed him by.

"Hey, Jade. Nice shirt!"

Jade smiled, glancing at her stripy black and gray shirt. "Thanks. You look okay."

"Um, thank you..."

The door to Kareoke Dokie opened again. A girl with long red hair walked into the club. She was wearing an eye-catching flowery shirt with a denim skirt. She walked through the tables, eventually stopping next to Beck.

"Wait, did you ask Cat to come to the blind date?" Tori stared at the girl, trying to make sure she wasn't confusing the girl for somebody else.

"Yep." Jade sat down. "She wouldn't shut up about who she thought the guy was."

A cheer of excitement came from Beck's table. Cat was jumping up and down.

Jade smiled at the sound of her best friend cheering. "That's a good sign."

"It is. This should be interesting night." Tori made herself comfortable.

Jade nodded. She had hoped her ex-boyfriend and her best friend would make a good pair so Beck could get over her. Even if the date didn't go well, it would be a story they could laugh about later.

A waiter walked up to their table. "Can I get you two anything to start of your date?"

Jade glared at the waiter. "We're not dating. They are." She pointed at Beck and Cat.

"Right. My apologies." The waiter tapped her pen on her cheek, making clear how little she cared.

Tori sat up. "I'll get a burger and the iced tea with lemon."

"And for you?" The waiter pointed her pen at Jade.

"Buffalo nuggets and water."

The waiter shrugged as she wrote down their orders. After, she went to Beck and Cat's table. Tori watched as she filled their order. Cat turned to Beck and began talking to him, making a few hand gestures as she went. Beck smiled, patting her head.

Tori giggled. "You made a really good choice with Cat."

Jade smirked. "Thanks."

Jade settled down to watch Cat and Beck. The two were talking. Beck made a joke, and Cat laughed. They never seemed to take their eyes off each other. Cat put her hands in her lap, playing coy. Beck acted with a less obvious demeanor, but Jade guessed he was hesitant to interact with his new girl with her in the room. The couple made small talk for the first ten minutes, not noticing Jade and Tori watching in silence.

Tori became bored with pretending to hear small talk from across the room. "When do you think the food's going to be here?"

"Soon." Jade looked over to Tori.

Just as Jade made that statement, the waiter came back to their table with food. She smiled as she set down the iced tea and nuggets in front of Tori and the water and burger in front of Jade. At the same time, the two reached over to switch their food. Their hands brushed against each other. Jade pulled her nuggets closer to herself, looking up to see Tori's reaction. Tori was blushing. They made eye contact for a split second before they both turned to look at Cat and Beck's table, where the waiter had just stopped. They watched her put a large basket of nachos on the table. With a careful hand, she set a Shirley Temple with two straws in the middle of the table.

"Two straws..." Tori smiled, as she knew what this could mean.

Cat took one of the straws and made a gesture to Beck. Beck took the other straw. The two began to drink out of the same glass. Tori pointed this out to Jade. Jade covered her face with her hand, hiding her annoyance. Beck had ordered food to share with Cat on their first date. He hadn't done that with Jade until date number five. Jade shook her head, pulling herself out of her memories, and began to eat her nuggets.

As the date went on, it became clearer that Beck and Cat wouldn't just be a one-day thing. Their interactions were so endearing Tori couldn't stop watching them for fear of missing something.

When she looked at Jade, she felt a small pang of loneliness. She wanted to be like Beck and Cat, to have somebody there for her. She wanted somebody she didn't expect to laugh at her bad jokes, but did anyway. She wanted somebody who would open up to her about her worries, and who would help her when she was in trouble. Even if she was still difficult to put up with her, from Tori's perspective, Jade had the awareness and care about what others thought to become a great girlfriend.

"Tori?"

Tori snapped back to reality. "What?"

"You're staring at me."

Tori turned away from Jade, mumbling a halfhearted apology. The DJ stopped playing his mix tape.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time to start tonight's Karaoke! Come up to the mic and show of your talent. We're going to be starting off with the beautiful and talented ladies Hayley Ferguson and Tara Ganz! These girls will have you singing along in no time. They are going to be taking on Ginger Fox's new number one single, Better Work."

Tori scowled. "They're still acting like those two are the best thing ever?"

"I guess so." Jade had an idea. "Want to go show them real singing, Louise?"

Tori hesitated. "But what about Beck and Cat?"

Jade insisted. "They will love it. Everyone will. And these prima donnas need someone to show them who's boss."

"Good point."

Tori and Jade walked over to the DJ's table. They waited through a bland, off-key version of a formulaic pop song. When the song was over, one boy cheered, while a couple of others slow-clapped. Tori and Jade took two microphones from the DJ and headed on stage.

"Hey, Louise! It's great to have you back here. I see you brought a friend along with you. What are you two going to sing?"

Tori thought about the songs they could sing. There were so many options, and she wanted something that would show off their vocal ranges, but not be too overpowering.

Jade made Tori's decision for her. "We want to sing 'Gold'."

"All right." The DJ set up the track. "We're getting a little pop love in the house toni-"

"Shut up!" Jade glared at the DJ.

A bouncy beat and electric guitar began to play through the speakers surrounding Karaoke Dokie's stage. Jade took the first part of the song, and Tori sang the second part. The girl's voices fit perfectly over the cheerful song. Jade switched to a higher pitch, letting Tori take the main vocals on the chorus. As she danced around the stage with Tori, Jade felt excitement rising up inside her. Singing the song was fun, and Tori hit all the notes perfectly. Jade blushed as Tori asked the boy if she needed to spell out her feelings. Jade sang about how well she knew the boy in the song.

Jade found herself watching Tori more often as they sang. Tori was not just pretty, she was beautiful, though Jade never wanted to admit it. Tori's brown eyes warmed her heart. Her curly brown hair framed her face perfectly. Her pronounced cheekbones had a faint blush to them, making her look sweeter. When Tori smiled, Jade couldn't help but smile back, and when she sang like she was now, Jade was happy to sing backup. As the song came to an end, several people in the audience stood up and cheered. Cat waved from her seat. Even Beck clapped.

"Told you so." Jade tilted her head down so nobody could tell she was still looking at Tori.

"Yea right!" Tori raised her hands, and both girls bowed.

With the rush of preforming still pumping through their veins, the girls handed their microphones to the couple who would be singing next. Tori and Jade went back to their table and resumed watching Cat and Beck. Cat was finishing their drink while Beck munched on the last of the nachos. The waiter picked up Tori and Jade's empty plates. Beck helped Cat up and held her hand. The couple made doe-eyes as they left the club together.

Jade felt something brush against her arm. She turned to see Tori's arm against her own. Tori looked straight into her eyes, and Jade blushed. Jade felt her phone buzz in her pocket and pulled it out.

(1) Message From:

**Cat Valentine**

Jade read the message. " 'Going home with Beck.'" Jade looked up. "Want me to drive you home, Tori?"

"That'd be great."

When Jade lead Tori to her car, she saw Cat and Beck kissing in the parking lot. The blind date had been a success for them, and she found herself getting more attached to Tori. She was glad she hadn't thrown away her chance. Jade sat in the driver's seat, with Tori riding shotgun. Jade looked over at her, started the car, and drove into the starry California night.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Well, it's been ten chapters of fun. So far, we've gotten over 16,000 words, 57 reviews, 84 followers, 26 favorites, and over 7,000 views. That is awesome! If you like this story, show it to others! Post it on Reddit, Tumblr, or Jori fansites. I'm sure other people will love it just as much as you do.

Follow, favourite and review this story if you haven't already. I respond to all my reviews.

**Writing Tracker:**

Chapter Being Written: Chapter 11

Last Chapter Planned Out: Chapter 26


	11. Dying to Try

Jade drove through the streets of Los Angeles. The night sky provided the perfect backdrop for the glowing neon signs on each city block. The car's headlights shone on metallic road signs before she passed them. Other cars drove past them, their headlights and taillights appearing to blink as they weaved through the lanes. Coloured traffic lights shone out, giving instructions that all but the most impatient of drivers would follow.

Tori watched the lights of the night pass by through the passenger side window. She smiled as she went over the events of the not-date in her mind. Despite Jade's reluctance to call it a date, she had been close to her. Tori had seen the way she looked at her when they were dancing onstage. Jade had encouraged her to sing, noticed that she had been staring, and reacted with embarrassment when their hands had accidentally brushed against each other. That wasn't the kind of things Tori expected from somebody who insisted she were not going on a date with her. Even now, as Jade was driving her home, Tori saw a tight grip on the wheel and a focused look in her eyes.

Tori tried to calm make Jade relax. "That was a fun night, wasn't it?"

There was some silence. "Try not to talk."

Shrugging, Tori turned back to her passenger-side window. She felt hurt and worried when Jade pushed her away like that. She was hurt because Jade always pushed her away after doing something to convince her they could become closer. She was worried because she never knew what Jade might be thinking, and because she never knew what thing could cause the fragile friendship to shatter.

Tori began to count the cars rushing by to distract her from her depressing thoughts. The sounds of the nighttime drive played like a muffled, off key symphony. No sound came from inside the car. The silence unsettled Tori, and even though she tried to distract herself from it, she became concerned with Jade's lack of a desire to speak. Cat and Beck were probably talking.

If Tori couldn't make Jade talk, she reasoned, why couldn't they sing? They had sung before. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and began to play the song she and Jade had danced to when Tori was cleaning up after a food fight.

"Tori, if you don't put earbuds in, you won't have ears."

Tori obeyed, taking a pair of earbuds resting in a cup holder. Pop music with thumping base and energetic synth played through the earbuds. Tori hummed along to the music. For the first few songs, everything was fine. The cheery pop provided a welcome contrast to the bitter turn their conversation was taking. Then, the music changed. An accented voice and strings began to play. This song's lyrics were darker, speaking of a love triangle and a huge mistake. The chorus launched into confusion as the singers tried vainly to decipher whether the other people in the triangle loved them or not. Tori closed her eyes, taking in the sorrowful melody. As she listened, she began to feel like the song could be about Jade. The confusion, stress, and eventual acceptance were all things that Jade must have been feeling. She hoped Jade was currently feeling the last one.

She looked over at Jade, carefully studying her body language. Jade had relaxed her tight grip on the wheel. She leaned forward in her seat, keeping her eyes on the road. She looked up at the mirror before shoulder checking. Ahead, Tori could see the street she would usually turn at to go home. Jade seemed to be signaling a bit later than she should, but Tori didn't drive, so it was difficult for her to judge.

The car accelerated, driving straight through the intersection. Jade's fingers flicked the turn signal on, and she turned right at the next intersection.

Tori looked out the back window as the car turned, trying to confirm they had gone the wrong way. "You missed the turn."

"I know." Jade turned the steering wheel to the left, centering the car in their lane.

Slightly worried, Tori pulled out her phone, hoping that she could find a GPS signal. Her phone displayed a spinning pear as it tried to gather data from satellites. "GPS signal not found. Search again?" She went to the Slap and posted, "Driving with Jade. Hoping she won't hurt me..." If something went wrong, she could send a message to everyone.

Jade merged onto the freeway. Tori looked around the street as they drove along the road. There were blocks of apartment buildings, stores, office buildings and parking lots, typical for an industrial area. Tori made a note of a 24 walk-in hospital in a strip mall in case Jade dragged her into an alley. The last time Tori had been alone in a car with Jade, Jade had a shovel in the back seat. She had taken Tori to the desert and sung creepy songs until Tori got out and walked. Tori checked the back seat.

The shovel was still there.

Tori's heart began to race. A few terrifying thoughts coursed through Tori's brain. The only places she knew in the area were closed. She had no friends nearby. The houses and shops they drove past began to look foreign. She caught a glimpse of a street sign reading "Crest Road". They had to be near the beach. Tori could see herself being buried alive, with the leftover sand being formed into a castle as she suffocated.

The car stopped. A knot of dread formed in the pit of Tori's stomach. She slid her hand across the passenger door until her finger wrapped around the handle. Once she was sure she had an exit ready, she looked up.

The first thing Tori saw was a relatively flat cliff. Only a few thin blades of grass were able to grow in the cliff's cracks. A light breeze tickled these blades. Beyond the cliff's edge, waves rolled across the beach. Moonlight and starlight bounced off the shifting tides. The dark sky was peppered with stars, far more than she could see in the city. The moon hung in the sky like the world's largest spotlight, beaming down on Tori with its full glory. The girl couldn't help but smile.

Tori heard the sliding sound of a seatbelt being sucked back into its unused position. Jade had moved to the end of her seat. Her hand rested near Tori's. "It's pretty, isn't it, Tori?"

"Yea." Tori looked away from Jade, blushing and uneasy.

Jade narrowed her eyes. "You've been freaking out since I made that 'wrong' turn."

"Yea..." Tori's voice was barely above a whisper.

Jade laughed. "Look, I know I've been awful to you this whole trip. I saw you were really happy at Karaoke Dokie, and that made me happy, and when I saw Cat and Beck in their car kissing, I got really...upset, I guess."

"You're jealous of Beck?"

"No! I wanted to be like that. I was going to just drop you off, go home, and be all angry about it. But then I decided that was stupid. It wouldn't change anything. So... I decided to drive you here. It's pretty, you're pretty, and I just thought with you here that I might be able to do something for once and... I can't say it."

Tori leaned in, taking Jade's hand gently in her own. "If you have to tell me something, you can."

"I really thought... I mean, I like you and... I..."

"Tell me!"

Jade shook her head. She grabbed onto the hand underneath her own, and pulled Tori close. She put her free hand on Tori's back. Without wasting a second, she closed the gap between them, pressing her lips against Tori's. Tori's whole body tensed up. Jade pulled away slowly, sitting normally again.

"You okay?" Tori tried to hide her disappointment, but it didn't work.

Jade nodded. "Are you okay?"

Tori had been preparing herself for beating or a burial, not this. But as she panicked, she remembered how many times she'd wanted to kiss Jade. She had pushed those feelings away each time, thinking Jade would never go that far. Now Jade was going that far, Tori realized. She should enjoy it.

"Yea." Tori unbuckled her seat belt.

Jade felt a light stream of breath on her cheek as Tori relaxed. Jade let go of Tori's hand so she could move closer, and Tori moved in too. This time, it was Tori who kissed Jade first. She was relived by Jade's immediate response. Jade's lips were warm and soft. When Jade kissed her, the caressing of her lips was smoother than she had imagined. Kissing Jade wasn't like kissing a boy. It was sweeter, deeper, and more gentle than any other kiss she'd had. There was something else too, a spark deep inside her that had never been there before.

Tori opened her mouth with a soft moan. Jade slowly slid her tongue into Tori's mouth. The feeling of Jade's tongue over her own was wonderful. Tori wiped a small line of drool from her chin as Jade's tongue receded. Jade licked Tori's lips, tasting the strawberry lip gloss she wore. Tori tasted hints of tangy buffalo sauce on Jade's lips.

Tori's phone buzzed. Carefully, Tori closed her mouth. She drew her lips back and began to pull away from Jade. Jade tried to keep her lips on Tori's, but when she realized what Tori was doing, she let her go.

Tori unlocked her phone. "It's Mom. She wants to know when I'll be home."

"Tell her 'soon'."

Jade put her seatbelt on, and Tori did the same. Jade squeezed Tori's hand before starting the car, a caring gesture. Jade turned the car around and drove back to the city. Tori smiled and looked up at the stars. She felt like she was flying.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I can here your cheers of excitement from over here!

I have something to address right now. I know I promised I would update every Friday, and I had a three-chapter head start when I started posting this story. I thought these measures would help me from falling behind and not updating the story. (See The Lost Girl, which has been abandoned.) Then, school started. I'm in the academic stream, which meant I couldn't write as much as I wanted to. My head-start chapters were posted one by one as I didn't have time to write new chapters each week. By chapter 8, I was posting as soon as chapters were done. This is why I would sometimes post late Friday night or early Saturday.

Then this chapter happened. I was busy for two weekends in a row. I felt so guilty I couldn't do what you guys wanted, but there still wasn't much time to write. As much as I love writing this story, getting my butt into university is more important than this completely voluntary project. I'm going to have to break my promise of posting new chapters once a week.

I want your input. What schedule would you like for the upcoming chapters? Post your answer in the review box along with your review. I'll consider all realistic responses when making my decision. (If you say once a week or more, your suggestion will not be considered realistic.)


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